Best of 2008 Picks -- Deborah Grabien

Conflicted, Much....?

In so many ways, 2008 was a year of purest nightmare. I know, this is a Best Of listing, but the one thing that made the non-professional side of this filthy year tolerable happened because one of my oldest friends was hit with damned near the worst the universe can offer.

First, though, let me get down my favourites. It won't be Best, because I don't believe in ranking or rating that way. These are the things that, in an otherwise sour year, made me happiest:

Julian Dawson, both a CD and an upcoming book. The CD first: Deep Rain on Blue Rose Records. This is one of two CDs I reached for this year when things were piling on and I needed music to disappear into for awhile. Julian has a pleasing singing voice, a lovely light touch on the guitar, and the lyrics to many of the songs perfectly echoed my mood: nearly wistful. My particular favourites, though, were kickass rockers: That's Why God Made Saturday Night and Long Days and Short Nights. The CD also contains one of the best versions I've heard of the classic What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.

Julian's also a writer, and his exquisite biography of Nicky Hopkins (partially seen, in manuscript form) nearly broke me, it was so lovely. It should be out in Germany next year, and is looking for a home with an intelligent American publisher (assuming that isn't an oxymoron). It's the biography of Nicky I wish I could have written. The minute you hear of it being released, get it. Trust me on this one.

Raising Sand, the glorious Plant/Krauss collaboration produced by T-Bone Burnett. I've already reviewed it here. Wow. Just, wow.

The Kinkaidverse. I'm finishing up the sixth JP Kinkaid Chronicle, Uncle John's Band; the first one, Rock and Roll Never Forgets, was released in July. The Kinkaidverse, as my husband christened it, is my happy place. This is where I go when the meatspace universe is too much. It's where the creative juices flow like wine and looking old memories and old acquaintance right in the eye becomes possible. This is my writing world, the place that makes me happiest.

Words & Music: The Michelle McFee Benefit Concert. Back in 1973, I got together with my friend Michelle Basil (later McFee), and we rented a house together in Marin County, California. She was secretary for the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and she would remain a deeply entrenched member of that community. I fled in 1976, after a bad break-up, and stayed away for thirty years. It was Michelle who made my re-entry nearly painless.

In September 2008, after three years of increasingly bad nosebleeds and inept doctors, she was diagnosed with a rare cancer. The cancer required three weeks in hospital, and nearly eleven hours of radical surgery.

Within hours of her approving it, my husband and I, through our non-profit Kinkaid Foundation, were putting together the Words & Music show, a fundraiser with auction and live gig.

The entire Bay Area music community came together. The show, held at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa on 19 December, was several hours of live music; the performers' list was so long, it would take a page of its own. But from the New Riders' David Nelson to Mark Karan (himself a cancer survivor) and Robin Sylvester of RatDog, from the Rowan Brothers to Bill Cutler, from Pete Sears of Jefferson Starship and Rod Stewart fame to David and Linda LaFlamme of It's A Beautiful Day to Peter Albin and Dave Getz of Big Brother and the Holding Company, everyone turned out to play. They blew the paint off the walls and the plaster off the ceiling. Michelle was there and managed to stay for the entire show, just revelling in it. She's about to begin five weeks of chemotherapy and seven weeks of targeted radiation therapy, and I think - I hope - this event in her honour made things feel a bit less daunting.

The literary community responded, as well. Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman, Ben Bova all kicked in signed first editions. Neil Gaiman sent us a signed first edition hardcover of "Coraline", and not only signed it, but drew us a sleepytime rat on the title page. Up and comers in both music and literature kicked in. The silent auction will ran until 1 January.

2008 was, in many respects, one of the worst years I've ever gone through. A heartbreaking election cycle proved that woman-bashing is not only alive and flourishing in America, it's accepted by what seems to be an entire generation of younger women. Iraq, Afghanistan, poverty, illness - not much to cheer about in 2008.

But I listened to Deep Rain and Raising Sand. I wrote Kinkaids. I saw one book published and two more sold. And I was able to coordinate something extraordinary for an extraordinary woman and a good friend.